TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - The No. 7 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1
overall; 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference) defense stifled the
explosive offense of the 21st-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (5-3 overall;
2-3 in the SEC) with six quarterback sacks and held the Aggies
to 172 total yards in a 59-0 rout before a capacity crowd of
101,821 Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The resounding victory by Alabama, a 59-point shutout win over a
team ranked 21st in the nation, represented the Crimson Tide's
largest margin of victory since a 66-3 win at Vanderbilt on Sept.
29, 1979; Alabama's biggest shutout victory margin since a 62-0
win over Tulane on Oct. 12, 1991; and featured the most points
scored by the Tide since scoring 62 in a win at Duke on Sept. 18,
2010. It marked A&M's first shutout loss since a 77-0 loss at
Oklahoma in 2003.

It also marked the Tide's largest margin of victory ever over a
ranked opponent. The previous mark was a 55-point win over No.
14 Syracuse in a 61-6 win in the 1953 Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1953.

The Tide defense smothered the Texas A&M offense as the Aggies
could manage only 172 total yards (31 rushing, 141 passing) and
eight first downs and was shutout for the first time since 2003.
The Aggies were forced into three-and-out possessions seven times
Saturday and never moved more than 54 yards on a drive. The Aggies
punted nine times in 14 possessions, including all six possessions
of the first half.

Meanwhile, the Alabama offense gained 602 total yards (298 rushing,
304 passing), had 30 first downs (14 rushing, 15 passing, one via
penalty), averaged 7.5 yards per play (6.6 per rush). The Tide was
particularly explosive during a 35-point second quarter, the most
points scored by an Alabama team in a single quarter in school
history.

Running back T.J. Yeldon rushed for a game-high 114 yards and two
touchdowns on 13 attempts while Derrick Henry gained 70 yards on
10 carries and scored a touchdown. Sims completed 16 of 27 passes
for 268 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Amari Cooper caught eight passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
DeAndrew White caught three passes for 30 yards and Yeldon had
three catches for 45 yards. Henry also had a 41-yard touchdown
reception.

Linebacker Ryan Anderson led the Tide with a game-high six tackles
(four solos). Safety Nick Perry had five tackles and broke up two
passes. Linebacker Reuben Foster had five stops including one
quarterback sack. Linebacker Reggie Ragland had five tackles,
shared a sack, had 1.5 tackles for loss, and intercepted a pass.
Overall, the Alabama defense had nine tackles for loss, six
quarterback sacks, broke up five passes, forced a fumble and
intercepted a pass.

Freshman punter JK Scott had four punts in the game for 200 yards,
an average of 50 yards per punt. Two of his four punts were over
50 yards in distance and one was downed inside the opponent's
20-yard line.